Hanger fasteners are provide to mount pipe fixtures and the like to building structures, such as walls and ceilings. Hanger fasteners are known in the art. These fasteners include a threaded or screw shank and an integrally or separately formed head with a typically axial, threaded opening suitable to support suspending pipe fixtures from the building structure. The shank portion of the fastener is fastened to the building structure, and a threaded rod is inserted into the threaded opening in the head, and the pipe fixture is suspended from the threaded rod.
Described in this application is a dual purpose hanger fastener for supporting fixtures, such as pipe fixtures, to a building structure. The dual-purpose hanger fastener includes a shank portion forming a first end and an integral head portion forming a second end. The shank portion is adapted, typically by threads, to engage and fasten the hanger fastener to a building structure. The head portion of the hanger fastener includes a cross-thread opening and an axial thread opening extending into the head, each adapted to receive a support member such as a threaded rod. The axial opening extends to a depth not less than one-thirty-second inch from the cross-thread opening and may be to a depth between one-fourth and one-thirty-second of an inch from the cross-thread opening. The support member enables the hanger fastener to support a pipe fixture or the like either by the cross-thread opening or the axial opening of the fastener head within narrow space typically available for these purposes in a building structure.
In certain embodiments, the first shank portion of the hanger fastener may be threaded so the shank portion can engage the building structure by threading the shank into the structure. In an embodiment, a portion of the head includes a drive section to engage a tool to permit the shank portion of the hanger fastener to be driven into a building structure by the tool. This drive portion of the head may be, for example, a hexagon.
In the same or another embodiment, the shank portion of the hanger fastener may include a lead self-drilling portion to enable the hanger fastener to be driven into a building structure without first forming a pilot hole. In addition, the head portion of the fastener hanger adjacent the cross-thread opening may be counter-sunk to enable a support member to be more easily guided into the cross-thread opening. The axial and cross-thread openings of the head portion may be threaded to receive the support member, such as a threaded rod.
Also disclosed in this application is a method of making a dual purpose hanger fastener for supporting a fixture from a building structure. The method includes the steps of forming a threaded shank portion as a first end portion, forming a head portion as a second end portion with a cross-thread opening, and forming an axial opening in the head portion extending into the head portion to at least one-thirty-second of an inch from the cross-thread opening. The threaded shank portion is adapted to be threaded into a building structure and the cross-thread opening and axial opening adapted to receive a threaded rod.
In some embodiments of this method there may be an additional step of forming a counter sink portion in the head portion adjacent the cross-thread opening to guide a support member into the cross-thread opening. In this or another embodiments, a drive portion of the head may be formed with a hex profile and/or the threaded shank may include a self drilling lead to assist in driving the hanger fastener into a building structure. The axial and cross-thread openings e.g. three-eighth inch diameter, in the portion of the hanger fastener may be threaded to receive the threaded rod. The cross-thread opening may be substantially perpendicular to the axial opening of the head portion of the hanger fastener.
Also disclosed in this application is a method of assembling a pipe fixture or the like to a building structure with a hanger fastener. The method includes the steps of assembling a hanger fastener with a cross-thread opening and an axial opening extending into the head to a depth not less than one-thirty-second inch from the cross-thread opening, threading a threaded shank portion of the hanger fastener into a building structure, securing a support member to an axial opening or cross-thread opening of the head portion of the hanger fastener, and securing a fixture to the support member. The dual purpose hanger fastener may be assembled with a threaded shank adapted to be threaded into a building structure. The head includes a cross-thread opening and an axial opening, both adapted to receive a support member to support a pipe fixture or the like by the hanger fastener from a building structure.
In some embodiments of the method the first end portion is assembled with a self drilling lead portion on the shank portion. In this or other embodiment a portion of the head of the hanger fastener may be assembled with a drive portion adapted to receive a driving tool. The method may include the additional step of attaching a driving tool to this drive portion of the head portion of the hanger fastener to enable the shank portion of the hanger fastener to be driven into the building structure without a pilot hole. The dual purpose hanger fastener may include a counter-sink portion adjacent the cross-thread opening of the head portion to enable a support member to be guided into the cross-thread opening.